If you have not read Pastor Lauterbach's November 4 post: "What's Thanksgiving got to do with it?" - go straight to it and read it. What he said! Because of the presence of Thanksgiving Day on our calendar, at some point we should wonder, "How did it get there and why?" We remember what we've heard in the past, but what does that mean to us? This past week I had a wond...

What's Thanksgiving Got to Do With It?By Mark Lauterbach In a few weeks, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Our sense of urgency about gratitude may be diluted by the busyness of the season. My question is this: Is giving thanks a high priority for us as people who have come to know the true God? God says it is. Does that surprise you? It shouldn't. Paul summarizes the res...

In a week my daughter will become a bride. Ask me later to show you a photo of her in all of her bridal radiance. She is anticipating the day with great joy and some trepidation. There are beauties in marriage, to be sure. But to submit to another person in marriage is also to be vulnerable and to give up control; it requires great trust and creates opportunity for hurt. ...

What kind of marriage do you want? Your answer probably depends on your stage of life. In our younger years, we have stars in our eyes and hope to be swept off our feet. During our busy middle years we want an able-bodied partner who'll share the workload of juggling duties and raising a family. But in our latter years, we simply desire the gift of companionship for as lo...

Last August I officiated at the memorial service for one of my best friends. Though 20 years apart in age, God gave us a bond which endured more than 40 years, until he was overtaken by dementia. Dick knew me as I considered proposing to Rondi and walked with me through marriage preparation. Then, with his wife, mentored us. Most of the mentoring took place while eating c...

I hesitate to write on a personal spiritual discipline because of the two-fold danger that (1) it may sound judgmental toward other practices favored by different believers (2) it may come across as "prescriptive." "Everyone should do it this way, because it's how I do it." I deny both. This is not meant to be either judgmental or prescriptive. In fact, in my sixty-plus y...

"I prefer by far this life of almost constant trial if I am only able to roll all my cares upon my Heavenly Father, and thus become increasingly acquainted with Him." George Mueller In 1836, George Mueller undertook to open an orphanage in Bristol provided for solely by prayer. Answers to Prayer is the chronicle of God's faithfulness in this endeavor. "The first and prim...

Perhaps I was nave. Perhaps I lacked doctrinal understanding. As a new Christian, I got it into my head that God invites us to ask him to work. And he promises he will answer. There it was, in plain English: "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." (John 14:1314 ESV) I un...

This fall Rincon Mountain is starting our Wednesday Kids Club. The program we have chosen for this year is Pioneer Club. This year's theme is "Walking with Jesus," and through the year we will teach our kids about who Christ is, starting with His birth and ending with His ascension and the fact that believers will spend eternity with Jesus. They will also learn how to hid...

[13] Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, [14] but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." [15] And he laid his hands on them and went away. Matthew 19:1315 "Wait until I get my hands on you!" Depending on the tone w...